The present invention relates to a mechanism for supporting a seat, such as a front seat of an automobile, in such a manner that the position of the seat is adjustable back and forth.
Such a seat support mechanism usually comprises right and left parallel guide rails, right and left slide rails slidable, respectively, on the two guide rails, and right and left lock mechanisms for locking a relative movement between a right or left pair of the guide and slide rails. A handle is connected with one of the right and left lock mechanisms so that it is unlocked by moving the handle. A release wire is connected between the handle and the other of the right and left lock mechanisms so that the other lock mechanism can be unlocked together by the movement of the handle. Each of the right and left lock mechanism is located about the middle of the mating slide rail. Therefore, the release wire is stretched under the seat from side to side about the middle between the front and rear ends of the seat. This position of the release wire is not desirable because the release wire of this position is liable to receive undesirable forces to cause malfunction of the lock mechanisms from the central portion of the seat which deflects downwardly to the most extent when an occupant sits on the seat, and from the toe of an occupant of a rear seat, and because the release wire of this position is liable to impair the comfort of the seat. If the right and left lock mechanisms are placed near the front end of the seat in order to place the release wire near the front end of the seat, then the right and left guide rails would have to be lengthened.